“We all have two choices; we can make a living or we can design a life.”
— Jim Rohn

Designing a New Life

We really have two choices. We can settle for what we’ve always done before, or take creative risks. The risk-takers are the leaders, the artists and the visionaries. Here at the Magic & Mystery School, we’ve helped many people make huge changes in their lives. We also walk our talk and continue to change and evolve the School to meet the needs of our students. We are making big changes, and we want you to know about them.

Here is a great new video by our friend, film-maker Jordan Wright. It shows how our School is evolving. Take a few seconds to see what we’re doing!

“Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done.”
— Louis D. Brandeis

Many people did not believe that we could actually create an online magic school, one that could offer expert teaching… Well, we’ve done just that!

Scholarships available!

We know that many students could use a bit of help paying for one of our classes here in Las Vegas, and we’ve developed our Scholarship Program to help! Learn more here: http://www.magicalwisdom.com/scholarships

McBride Magic Experience: East Coast Tour

The McBride Magic Experience will be in Philadelphia and Baltimore. This is a rare opportunity for my East Coast friends to see my new one man show, the brand new Ask the Show Doctor lecture, and a four hour Super Session workshop! All the information is on my calendar:

My invitation to you: If you’re looking for a little magical inspiration, join us at mcbridemagic.tv for uplifting and inspirational programs, free, 24 hours a day!

Please feel free to email Abbi or me if you have any questions about classes or private sessions here in Las Vegas or online. It’s really an amazing world we’re living in, that we can now hold magic classes secretly and securely on the internet. I am sure that you will find many magical gifts hidden around our websites for you to enjoy….

Yours in mystery,

Jeff

P.S. You can see a the full April WONDERGROUND show compressed down to just a few minutes, thanks to the great work of Scott Steelfyre! Just click here:

I’m always delighted when we have a Museletter written by our friend George Parker. George is a real wizard in every sense, and I know I always learn something from every conversation I get to have with him and everything I read that he writes. George lives in Amsterdam, and bills himself as a corporate alchemist – which means he helps companies and corporations, as well as individuals, create positive change, often using his magic. I know you’ll enjoy his insights below!

From George Parker:

The 7th Veil

Shakespeare once wrote: “I like your silence. It the more shows of your wonder.” I think he was right. When we experience wonder we fall silent. We react quite differently when we’re surprised, astonished, amazed, flabbergasted, stunned, astounded or startled.

I love both the experience of wonder as well as creating that experience for my audience. Yet I know that my success is often judged by how loud people scream and laugh and how much they will talk about it after the show. If I want to be perceived as successful I need to include some ‘cheerleader’-magic generating big laughs and loud cheers. If I want to be successful in my own definition I need to create the state of wonder which will in turn generate silence.

I’ve tried to solve this in a couple of ways. First, I look at my shows from a musical perspective. I want my shows to be symphonies. The instruments (script, visual effects, music, interaction, etc.) need to work together to create the bigger picture. I also want to mix in slower pieces and silent moments to create more texture.

The second solution was inspired by Sam Sharpe. In his ‘Neo Magic’ he wrote about the famous 7th veil that belly-dancers never remove while dancing: “The fine artist never attempts to withdraw the 7th veil. This means that in conjuring the greater effect is liable to be created or some sort of cover is used. To vanish a lamp from under a foulard is far more magical than to use the visible disappearance.”

Using this principle I’m able to ‘train’ my audience to hold their attention and open up to being silent. Once they get used to postponing their need to release tension by being loud, they will be much more inclined to switch to a state of wonder later.

It’s even true in real life, I’ve discovered!

George Parker

From Tobias:

Thanks, George!

And now on the the “news” part of the Museletter newsletter.

At the end of this month, Jeff will be travelling east for just two East Coast events. The first, on May 29-30, is sponsored by our good friend Marc DeSouza, who is an amazing magician in his own right. Marc’s space for events is very small, so if you’re in the area, I would urge you to get in touch with him as soon as possible. This will sell out fast, and you’re amongst the first to hear about it. For more info, e-mail Marc directly: FKaps@aol.com.

The second event will be at Howard Katz’ Magic Warehouse, again with show, lecture and workshop. The dates are June 1-2, and I understand Jeff will be actually hosting our Monday Night Mystery School show from The Magic Warehouse on Monday, June 3. For those of you who may not be aware, The Magic Warehouse is one of our sponsors for the Monday night shows, so it will be especially fun that Jeff will be able to broadcast – and give you all a short tour “behind the scenes” with Howard while he is there. There is a link to all Jeff’s events while in Baltimore on the home page for the Magic Warehouse: http://themagicwarehouse.com/. Go…buy a ticket now. They’ll go fast!